Athlete's foot is a chronic superficial fungal infection of the skin of the foot, especially of that between the toes and on the soles. It is usually caused by species of Trichophyton or by Epidermophyton floccosum or Candida albicans. Athlete's foot may be of different types and degrees of severity and may be marked by maceration, cracking and scaling of the skin, and by intense itching.
In the past many types of athlete's foot have been cured by applying acid liquid or ointment. If the ailment is not a serious one, use of vinegar proves to be effective to some extent. However, while these known medicaments are somewhat effective for the cure of dry athlete's foot, they are not particularly efficacious against wet athlete's foot.
Wet type athlete's foot is most fertile and resistant. Mankind has most probably been tortured by this ailment ever since the dawn of the history of mankind, without there ever being a decisive curative means against this type of athlete's foot.
Dampness is an anathema to wet athlete's foot. Therefore ointments or liquid medicines when applied for cure of such wet athlete's foot, give moisture to the ailing part and cannot produce satisfactory curative effect such as is obtained when they are used for cure of dry athlete's foot.
For the treatment of wet athlete's foot there are currentely employed methods in which a dry athlete's foot curative ointment is first applied to the affected part and then air is immediately blown thereonto to dry the ointment-applied part, or talc or such is spread thereover to absorb moisture to thereby dry said part.
However, this type of medicament naturally contains moisture which is most undesirable for the treatment of wet athlete's foot, so that such medicament gives dampness, if temporarily, to the ailing part upon every application thereof. Therefore, such medicament cannot always produce a satisfactory curative effect. Furthermore, the method of application is rather troublesome.
The most ideal medicament for the remedy of wet athlete's foot would be one which is acidic in nature and can well absorb moisture to keep the ailing part dry.